Black rice is also called purple rice and forbidden rice

It deserves all the evocative aliases it goes by. Deep in color and flavor, with an appealing bite and nutty notes. It turns a dish into something not only delicious but stunning. Black rice is fantastic enough in desserts too, in fact I am working on a fun and delicious black rice dessert. Thankfully, black rice has recently become more affordable, and is making more frequent appearances on many tables.

In my black rice risotto recipe, I am taking some poetic license with the word risotto: it is not strictly speaking a risotto, where you add liquids to the rice in steady increments as the previous addition gets absorbed. Still my black rice dish here share a valuable feature with the classic risotto: It is an all-integrated rice-vegetable dish, a meal onto itself. It also includes saffron, a staple in risotto dishes.

Who knew kale could be so delicious, in addition to being so nutritious?

King Oyster Mushrooms really are king: King of Umami.

They are thick and meaty, and reasonably expensive; you will swear you are eating a steak (and yes, they are still cheaper than steak!) Their stem is a little over 2 inches in diameter, about 4-5 inches long. Anytime you have a yen for a meaty taste when making a vegetarian dish, slice them a little over 1/2 inch thick, and saute them in a little olive oil, searing them on each side, then use them in salads, soups, pasta or rice dishes: Your dish will be taken to another level in no time and with minimal labor.

I am sharing my black rice risotto just as I made it, but there is much room for adaptations and variations, just as long as the King Oyster Mushrooms are there. But you could skip the butternut squash for example, or replace it with tiny halved Brussels Sprouts; you could replace sliced kale leaves with sliced Swiss chard leaves; you could throw in a cup of sake or other dry white wine for an added kick, and so on.

Ingredients

4 cups water (or 3 cups water and 1 cup sake or dry white wine)

2 good pinches saffron threads

2 teaspoons turmeric

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups Black Rice

1/3 cup olive oil, divided, a drop more if needed

6 King Oyster Mushrooms (about a pound), thickly sliced

6 cloves garlic, minced

Large bunch kale, leaves only (reserve the stems for soup), sliced in ribbons

Instructions

Bring the water to boil in a wide bottom pot, then add all the ingredients in the first set of ingredients listed. Cover and cook about 30 minutes, or a little longer, until the rice is tender but still has a bite, and most of the liquids are absorbed but still look creamy.

Meanwhile, heat some of the olive oil in a large bottom skillet. Add the mushroom sliced, cut side down, and saute, about 1 minute on each side. add the garlic and stir quickly, until just fragrant. Add the kale and saute 2-3 minutes more. Add the squash, spices and water, and cover. Cook on a medium flame just a few minutes, until most of the liquids are absorbed and the squash is tender.

When the rice is ready, stir in the vegetable mixture, and adjust the seasonings.